10 Ways to Sell More Wearables and Promotional Products — Regardless of the Economy

SALES & MARKETING

10 Ways to Sell More Wearables and Promotional Products — Regardless of the Economy

May 21, 2010
By David Blaise, Contributing Writer

A troubled economy doesn't have to mean trouble for you. In fact, while some businesses are trying to scrimp, save and cost-cut their way to success, others are gobbling up market share and racking up record sales — taking a proactive approach to growth while others are too afraid to move.

As an industry consultant, my-full time job is to provide solutions to the specific problems my clients. Many of them still perceive the economy to be problem No. 1.

Based on recent experience with literally hundreds of professionals in our industry, following are 10 ways to sell wearables and promotional products, regardless of the state of the economy.

1. Recognize that an economic downturn doesn’t have to be your downturn. This is not your recession. You didn’t order it, so you don’t have to take delivery of it.

I’m not saying you should pretend the situation doesn’t exist. Rather, you can simply refuse to participate. Don’t automatically accept the idea that a downturn is inevitable for you. Some of the greatest fortunes in the world began during the Great Depression.

When we hear things are bad, our inclination may be to pull back. But very often, that’s the wrong response. If some prospects are not receptive right now because of the economy, we have two choices:

1.) Blame the recession, say nobody's buying right now and pull back, or

2.) Find prospects that are receptive and sell to them.

Blindly accepting economic defeat often creates a self-fulfilling prophecy.

2. Take a leadership position. In every market, there are leaders and followers, winners and losers. You can’t lead your clients out of the economic pit if you’re stuck there with them. You have to rise up and demonstrate leadership.

Some people are innovators who do things boldly and aggressively, while others are duplicators or copycats who simply follow along. Ask yourself a tough question: Will you be leading the charge or following the parade? The answer will determine where you’ll end up in this economy.

Position yourself as a recession rescue worker, helping your clients create promotions that will lead them back from the brink.

3. Reactivate your current and former prospects and clients. Now is the time to talk to the people you know. Take their pulses and find out what's going on in their heads. Ask how things are affecting them.

Regardless of the economy, there always are two kinds of people: those who are ready to do something and those who are not. Find out where each of your existing prospects and clients stand.

In a tough economy, it's not just about printing logos on products. It's about creating promotional results. It's about putting customers into your clients’ stores, along with money into their accounts with effective promotions.

4. Fire up your referral network. This also involves talking to people you know, but not just your business contacts. Talk to personal contacts, friends of friends — essentially, everyone you know.

This is less about selling to your network and more about selling to their network. It's not about selling to your Granny, because Granny may not be in the market for wearables. But Granny’s hairdresser may own a chain of hair salons that needs to attract clients during a difficult economy. If Granny’s been a good client, and she tells her hairdresser about how you provide
promotional solutions for people and serve as a recession rescue worker, that person may want to hear from you.

5. Target better. Instead of just waiting to see who stumbles through your door, proactively choose your prospects. Compile a list of the Top 25 companies you think you’d like to do business with right now. Contact them, learn the names of their buyers and put them through your customer-acquisition process. Don’t have one? Shame on you. Every wildly successful business has a proven process for bringing clients through the door. You need one, too. But that’s another story for another day.

6. Reach prospects and clients with an aggressive marketing campaign. Aggressive doesn’t have to mean expensive. In fact, it shouldn't be. If it is, you’re either not targeting well enough (as explained in Step 5) or you don’t have a proven customer-acquisition process in place.

Get through to your targeted prospects. Quickly determine those that are qualified to do business with you and those that are not. Focus your time and effort only on the qualified prospects.

7. Vary your approach. Sales success requires intelligent repetition of contact, which means you must keep it varied and interesting. If you've ever traveled in a car with small children, you understand why this is important.

“Are we there yet? Are we there yet? How about now?” they will ask repeatedly. That is not intelligent repetition of contact, yet some people take a similar approach in business. “Are you ready to buy? Would you like to place an order? Are we there yet? Are we there yet?”

Vary your approach with different marketing methods. Instead of repeatedly calling clients and prospects on the phone and leaving messages, try sending a letter in the mail, followed by a phone call and e-mail, or package up a nice self-promotion item.

When we use a combination of tools and approaches to get our information in front of people, it changes things up a bit and avoids the “are-we-there-yet” approach to sales.

8. Promote recession-proof ideas, ROI promotions and low-cost marketing strategies. What are these things? We don’t have room to explain it all here, but recession-proof ideas get results for a client even when the economy is bad. ROI promotions create a positive return on investment. Who does best in a bad economy? Those who can help others to do better. That needs to be you.

9. Set up a joint venture with friendly, indirect competitors. Partner with other businesses who are likely to sell to the same people you do. You can cross-promote each other to your client lists or even provide a finder's fee on any referred sales. Simply interacting with others who sell to the same people you do can spur ideas, sales and profits.

10. Approach direct competition about acquiring them. Billionaire investor Warren Buffet says the best time to buy is when everyone is scared. When people are afraid to invest, prices drop and you can usually find bargains. It’s the same when buying businesses. A difficult economy may encourage some to consider a no-money-down buyout based on a percentage of future sales. It happens in our industry more often than you might think, and it never hurts to ask. Some people are just happy to give their clients a good home and still be able to earn something for their efforts.

Albert Einstein once said, “The significant problems we face cannot be solved at the same level of thinking we were at when we created them.” I hope I've given you some good ideas to start down the path of changing your thinking and approach to help create better results.

David Blaise is an entrepreneur and business consultant with more than 20 years of experience in the wearables and promotional products industries. To learn more on this topic, click here to register for his free webinar “Ten Action Steps to Sell Promotional Products Regardless of the Economy.”

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